About the Document

Purpose: On October 5, 2006, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service published a proposed rule designating critical habitat for the
threatened guajón (Eleutherodactylus cooki), a frog endemic
to Puerto Rico (71 FR 58953). The Service is proposing the designation
of approximately 217.2 acres (ac) (88 hectares (ha)) in the municipalities
of Humacao, Las Piedras, Maunabo, Patillas, and Yabucoa, Puerto Rico,
as critical habitat.

About the Peer Review Process

Type of Review: Influential

Date of Peer Review: Peer review occurred between October
5, 2006 and December 5, 2006.

Estimated Dissemination Date of the Final Rulemaking Document: October
1, 2007.

Process: The Service submitted letters requesting peer
review of the proposed rule to eight independent scientific reviewers
with knowledge and expertise with the guajón and its habitat. The
Service also made formal requests for peer review to the Puerto Rico
Department of Natural and Environmental Resources and the U.S. Forest
Service. We welcomed input on any aspect of the proposed rule,
but were particularly interested in comments on the background, primary
constituent elements, methods, criteria, and unit descriptions sections.

Two of the ten peer reviewers were able to review the proposed rule
and provide comments. The Service will use the information received from
the peer review, as appropriate, in the final designation of critical
habitat for the guajón.

About Public Participation

Public comments on the proposed rule were sought with a FederalRegister announcement
published on October 5, 2006. The Service distributed the press
release of this announcement to interested parties and the media. This
comment period ended December 4, 2006.

A second comment period will open for 30 days following the announcement
of the availability of the economic analysis in the Federal Register.
This comment period is expected in May 2007 and will include the proposed
rule as well.

The Service will publish a notice in the FederalRegister regarding
the decision on the designation of critical habitat for the guajón,
including a summary of the results of the peer review. This peer
review plan is made available on this website to allow the public to
monitor our compliance with the Offices of Management and Budget’s
Final Information Quality Bulletin for Peer Review.